Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] CNC Injection Mold Machining

> How automated can injection mold tooling be? I know this is a very
> general question but has technology progressed to the point that a
> block of mold steel can be placed in a CNC machine and out comes
> half of the mold? Certainly it must depend on the geometry of the
> cavity.
>
> I have a laser cutter and am aware of lasers now being used to cut
> molds. Seems like fully automated tooling will be the way of the
> future.

You sound like a cnc sales man talking to an engineer or ceo :) There is
still the problem of ejector pins, water lines (that need to be run in ways
that aren't that simple) sprues, gate drops, hot tips, slides, gibs, locks,
lifters..... and dozens of other little parts. Lots of molds are as complex
as a car motor and have as many moving parts as well as as many parts that
need to be heated and cooled. There is also the thing, that you really want
to make some parts of the mold out of one kind of steel and other parts out
of other kinds of steel.

It's more automated then it was when I started and I'm sure will get more
automated. I don't see the day that you will be able to just throw two
blocks of steel into a machine and have it dump out finished molds. Not
production tools, maybe hand cast prototype stuff, that's basically there
now.